Adjustable chair



(No Model.)

J. P. HINDMAN. ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

No. 435,224. Patented Aug. 26, 1890.

WITNESSES A 77'0HNEYS UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. HINDMAN, OF OLATHE, KANSAS.

ADJUSTABLE CHAIR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 435,224, dated August26, 1890. Application filed March 27, 1890. Serial No. 345,577. (Nomodel.)

' .To all whom itv may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES P. HINDMAN, of Olathe, in the county ofJohnson and State of Kansas, have invented a new and Improved AdjustableChair, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description. 7

This invention relates to improvements in adjustable chairs, andmoreparticularly to such as are used in passenger railroad-cars; the objectsbeing to provide a chair which may have its back reversed, and alsoinclined at different angles, and, further, to afford ad-i justable legand foot supports which are independent of the back.

To these ends my invention consists in cer-' tain features ofconstruction and combina-' tions of parts, which are hereinafterdescribed, and indicated in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification," in which similar lettersof reference'indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the seat or chair, partly in section,showing the foot and leg rest, as well as the back adjusted in.different positions. Fig; 2 isa' plan view of the chair-frame with theupholstering removed to show the parts it would cover; and Figs. 3, 4,5, and Gare views of the back-support removed from thechair. g

A represents the rectangular frame of the chair, having legs a attachedto support it at a proper height. Upon the sides of the frame arm-restsb are erected, which are suitably upholstered, or may be left plain, ifpreferred.

Below the chair-frame A a bracket-stand B is located, it being securedin .its position by any suitable means. This frame may be attached to abase-board of the frame or directly upon the floor on which the framestands. The bracket-stand B is composed of two upright parallel walls 0,that are sufliciently spaced apart to receive between them thesegment-piece d, which latter is pivoted at 6 near its lower edge and atthe center of width, so that it may rock freely between thebracket-walls, whereon it rests. The foot d of the segment d is providedwith upwardlyextending flanges e which are laterally projected from itsside edges in alignment with the edges of the upper portion of thesegment d, to which they are attached. Said flanges serve to prevent thedisplacement of a standard and its locking-plate, which will bedescribed. At the upper end of the segmentpiece (1, upon the side onwhich the laterallyprojecting foot-block d is formed,a stud g is .fra'mecross-bars c at the center of width, the

cylindrical portion of the standard being thus adapted to sustain thechair-back and permit it to revolve on a shoulder produced on thestandard at m, which shoulder engages the lower surface of the bottomcrossbar of the back-frame, the lower portion of the standard 0 beingpreferably made square or rectangular in cross-section below theshoulder m.

' Upon the foot of the segment (1 between the guiding-flanges e asegmental locking- .plate 6' is located in proper grooves, as shown inFig. 3, said plate being arched to give it a 'form similar to the footof the segment d, and

is held in the grooves formed for its reception in the flanges e by thespiral springs e these latter being located in open recesses cut in theside of the segment-wall, their upper ends being fastened to thesegment-bodyfleaving.

the springs free to expand and contract, while their lower ends areattached to the upper edges of the locking-plate e and hold said platenormally elevated to interlock with the standard 0, as will beexplained. At about the center of length of the plate 6 an arm e isprojected downwardly therefrom, which arm terminates in a ring, throughwhich one end portion of a rounded tripping-lever c is inserted. Themain portions of said lever, being extended toward the side of thechairframe A, project outside of the same a short distance, passingthrough the perforated head of a fulcrum-post c. The orifice in the headof the fulcrum-post c is cupped from each side toward the center, whichwill permit the tripping-lever c to swivel in any direction from ahorizontal plane, and upon its outer end a universal cup-and-ball jointof ordinary form is placed, to which is also attached theupwardly-extended sliding rod that loosely engages the perforated outerend of the bracket-post c, which post is affixed on the side face of theback frame 0' at a convenient point for manipulation when the adjustmentof the chair-back is to be changed. The plate e is perforated near itscenter, as at e, to receive the pin 6, which perforation is elongatedsufiiciently toward the upper edge of the locking-plate to permit asliding depression of the latter.

A series of several notches f are cut in the upper edge of the segmentallocking-plate e, which may separately be engaged by a locking-lip f,formed on the side of the lower end i of the standard 0, so that by theconstruction of parts, as described, the depression slightly of the rod0" will carry the plate e away from the locking-lip f and permit thechair-back C to receive a different degree of inclination,

' which when attained will be secured by the re-engagement of the lip fwith an appropriate notch in the segment-plate e.

When the chair-back is upholstered, the lower surface of the bottomcross-bar t of its frame is left uncovered, so that it mayrestupon therear edge of the seat-frame, whereby the back is retained in properposition as a support" for the occupant of the chair.

As represented in full and dotted lines in i Fig. 1, it is apparent thatdifferent degrees of inclination may be given to'the chair-back O,and,should it'be necessary, the seat-back can be rocked over to theopposite side, so as to change its front, as shown in dotted lines inFig. 1, the degree of inclination being adj usted as beforeexplained,and when the seatback is turned over the upholstered sideis given acorrect position by a half-revolution of the back-frame upon thestandard C.

As this reversible chair is mainly designed for use in railway-cars, andtherein arranged in rows at spaced distances from each other, each chairis provided with two leg-rests D E, which are identical in form, thesebeing comprised of rectangular frames suitably upholstered on one side.The rests D E are hung in swinging bail-hangers n that are pivoted tothe chair-frame at 'r on the sidesengaged by the back-frame C, and aretherefore reversible, so'that the upholstered sides may be turned belowand the wooden faces brought above. Each leg-rest is made adjustable asto its inclination by the curved ratchet-bars a, one being provided foreach leg-rest. These ratchet-bars are jointed at n to the bail-hangers nand project their free ends inwardly, whereby their bodies are free toadjust their teeth in engagement with the properly-shaped stretcher-bars0 on the chair-frame and alterably retain the leg-rests D Erat anydegree of inclination required. By the provision of two leg-rests thechair is equipped for! use on either, side, as may. be needed, and itwill be noticed that the leg-rest of a, seat in advance may .byreversing it serve as a foot-rest for the chair-occupant in its rear,and when so employed can be retained projected at any desired angle byengaging one edge with the rack-cut plates 3, that are placed oppositelyon the edges of not in service, the leg-support D can be lowered intoavertical position, which it assumes when permitted to hang pendent fromthe edge of the seat-frame.

As represented, the leg-rests- D E when either are used as foot-restsmay bearranged so as to align on their top surfacewith the le -supports,if desired, and when they are in position, as shown in Fig. 1, with "theback 0 rearwardly inclined a comfortableTcouchlike seat isafforded,.which can quickly be adjusted to assume a proper position forsitting upright or at other degrees of inclination that are intermediateof those mentioned.

While the rod 0 has been shown and described as located on thechair-back C, it is not'desired to restrict it to such. location, as itmay be supported to slide on the frame. of the chair or in a slotof thesame and obtain a satisfactory movement of parts, so as. to permit thechair-backto .be moved in the manner herein specified.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Thecombination, with a seat-frame having transverse stretcher-barsthat are shaped the leg-supports a, as shownin Fig. 1. When to beengaged by ratchet-teeth on curved bars, of two leg-rests cushioned onone side, two bail-hangers pivoted to the seat-frame and also pivotedoppositely on the edges of the leg-rests near their centers of length, a

curved ratchet-cut bar for each leg-rest, and

rack-cut plates secured on the legs of the seat-frame, which may beengaged by the edges of the leg-rests to support them as footrests whensaid leg-rests are revol'ubly moved, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination, with a seat-frame having arm-rests, and arectangular back-frame, the top and bottom cross-bars of which arevertically perforated near their centers, of a rounded standard thatengages the perforations of the back-frame, a rocking segmentpiece, onwhich the standard is pivoted to swing, a supporting bracket-frame belowthe seat-frame, on which. the segment-piece is pivoted to rock, and anadjustable device which will interlock"with the lower end of thestandard and hold it secured to the segment-piece, substantially as setforth.

3. The combinatiomwith a seat-frame having arm-rests, a rectangularback-frame cushment-piece pivoted to rock onthe bracket stand, alocking-plate on the. segment-piece, which may be moved vertically, andlever mechanism that is adapted to slide the. locking-plate and lock orrelease the lower end of the standard, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination, with a seat-frame ha ving arm-rests andleg-supports, a bracketstand below the seat-frame, and a segmentpiecepivoted on the bracket-stand, so as to rock parallel to the seat-arms,and having an arched locking-plate loosely secured to one side near itslower end, which plate is pro- Vided with spaced notches in its uppersurface, of a standard that is rounded to engage perforations in thecross-bars of aback-frame, and also adapted to have sliding interlockingengagement with the notches of the segmentplate, means to slide thesegment-plate vertically, and an upholstered back-frame, which mayrevolve or rest on the seat-frame, substantially as set forth.

JAMES P. HINDMAN. -Witnesses:

W. H. SHELDON, B. P. NOTEMAN.

